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Michigan PFAS response group launches new, improved website

The Michigan PFAS Action Response Team (MPART) today launched a new and improved website designed to keep the public better informed on the state’s work to identify per- and polyfluorinated substances (PFAS) contamination in the state and protect people from high-level exposures to this emerging class of contaminants.

The redesigned website, www.Michigan.gov/PFASresponse, features dedicated sections covering PFAS and human health, water testing and treatment, and active investigations throughout the state. The site also contains an expanded list of frequently asked questions related to PFAS.

The site will also host results from a statewide survey of PFAS levels in public water supplies. The $1.7 million survey is the first comprehensive, state-driven study of its kind.

The state has already sampled water at more than 30 sites including industrial, military, and landfills known to have used or disposed of PFAS-containing materials and acted to protect drinking water supplies. The website contains overviews and updates on these investigations.

In January 2018, Michigan acted to set a new clean-up standard of 70 parts per trillion for PFAS in groundwater used for drinking water. PFAS chemicals include perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS). Michigan is one of only a handful of states to establish a clean-up standard.

MPART is helping to coordinate the state’s $23 million effort to locate PFAS contamination, identify sources, and oversee remediation activities aimed at protecting the state’s water resources and mitigating risks to the public.

PFAS compounds are a group of emerging and potentially harmful contaminants used in thousands of applications globally including food packaging, and many other consumer products. PFAS is also found in firefighting foam used by airports and the military.